4. Digital competences

Many professional meetings are currently taking place in the digital space – we are of course talking about online meetings or online conferences. There are different software that is used in the professional context. Let’s take a look at two important ones – Zoom and Microsoft Teams – for a better understanding.

In principle, of course, they are similar. Both are programmes with which you can communicate with each other online in groups or pairs via image and sound. You need an account and an e-mail address and can either create meetings yourself or take part in them. During the meeting, different functions can be used. One’s screen can be shared or certain documents, and there are chats in which one can share links or other messages or tools such as whiteboards on which one can work together.

https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/telecommuting-concept_7938248.htm#query=online%20meeting&position=3&from_view=search&track=sph

Microsoft Teams, as part of Office 356, is embedded in the Microsoft universe and accordingly well integrated with other Microsoft products. Zoom, on the other hand, is a stand-alone, cloud-based video conferencing platform. Both are available in limited free versions and in various paid versions, which have a different range of functions.

The WBL_GOES_VIRTUAL Toolbox provides a collection of 25 digital tools that are suitable for virtualising work-based learning processes. The tools cover various areas of WBL processes such as the management of the learning, tutorial creation, virtual communication and more. https://www.wbl-goes-virtual.eu/toolbox/

In general, it can be said that Microsoft Teams is used more by large companies. This is mainly because it is used as part of a whole software package – so if you need more than just video conferencing in the work environment. Zoom, on the other hand, is more accessible to smaller groups of people (especially if it is only about video conferencing), even if, for example, participants from outside the company need to be involved.

Let’s take a look at the respective advantages and disadvantages in comparison:

By the way: Just as in the analogue workplace, such as the office, there are manners that you should observe in the digital space. Here are some important facts:

• In the home office, the private sphere should not be too publicly visible – a background that is as neutral as possible without any glimpses of the private living environment ensures professionalism and is not distracting during the conversation. Staying in the picture during the meeting and not cooking or doing other private things on the side goes without saying.
• Impeccable internet reception, a high-quality headset and an appropriate webcam ensure that you are well-understood and that your counterpart also understands you well. Every meeting suffers from poor video or audio quality.
• Social media (such as LinkedIn or Facebook) should not mix personal and professional. Avoid contact requests to managers or clientele and do not disclose professional or confidential details on social media.
• When forwarding emails, make sure that you remove unnecessary previous email traffic in them – this provides more clarity for the receiving person.
• Also, schedule online meetings only during regular office hours, for example between 9 am and 5 pm (and not during lunch time).

If you behave as you would in the office, you can’t go wrong in principle. Keep in mind that the digital space is also a public space where politeness and professionalism are just as important as in the normal work environment.

Let’s say you have prepared and analyzed your data using a pivot table – now of course you want (or need) to present the results attractively. That’s why we’ll conclude by looking at some basics of digital presentation techniques.

When presenting, you have to deal with two aspects: on the one hand, the technical tools you use and, on the other hand, your associated appearance (i.e. voice, body language and external appearance) as well as the design of your content.

When we think of technical tools, we naturally immediately think of Microsoft PowerPoint, as the best-known presentation software. But there is other software that you can usefully employ and with which you should concern yourself:

• Presentation software: Besides PowerPoint, there are, for example, Pages (from Apple) and Google Slides (especially important if a company works internally with Google’s services), but also free software such as LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice.
• Interactive software: With programmes like Miro, you can bring content “live” to your audience via digital whiteboards. Collaboration tools such as Google Docs or Slido can be used to involve the audience in activities such as brainstorming or live to-vote.

In online presentations, you will usually “share” your screen with all participants – this means that what you see on your screen is what everyone else sees. This makes it very easy to use presentation and interactive software – sometimes this is even already integrated (for example, a whiteboard function). However, make sure that you only have content open that belongs in the presentation.

For the presentation itself, two factors are very important: a self-confident and confident appearance and an appealing design of your content. After all, your audience wants to receive reliable and understandable information. For a professional appearance, the following tips will help you:

• Body language: Always turn towards your audience and make sure you maintain pleasant eye contact with everyone involved. Use your hands and adopt an upright posture. Avoid clasping your hands or putting them in your trouser pockets.
• Voice: Always speak clearly and at a comfortable pace. This is especially true for presentations given in the course of an online meeting. Good intonation of the most important content will help to make your presentation more lively.
• Preparation and appearance: Always prepare for your presentation and any questions that may arise – this will help you to be able to give a comprehensible presentation in case of unforeseen problems (for example, if your presentation tool does not work). Make sure you are dressed appropriately (rather a little too smart than too casual) and have a well-groomed appearance – even if you are giving a presentation in your home office.
• Respond to your audience: If you notice that your audience does not understand something, ask and involve them in your presentation. This will help you to keep their attention. In long presentations, you can also include small breaks if necessary.

Your appearance determines the impact of the presentation. Presentation software is merely a tool to convey content more vividly. But here, too, there are some things you should keep in mind:

Keep the design and layout of your slides consistent and avoid clutter. Follow the KISS rule (Keep It Straight And Simple) – keep your slides simple, reduced and short. Avoid redundancy and think of your slides more as an extension – matching images or graphics can make a big impact when combined with what you are saying. If you use text on your slides, make sure the text is of an appropriate size, especially if the presentations are shared across computer screens in an online meeting.